Updated: Los Angeles sheriff's deputies shot and killed a man they say attempted to shoot them first, but a cell phone video suggests the suspect was walking away when deputies shot him in the back.
Los Angeles County Sheriff Jim McDonnell said at a news conference Sunday that while there was no evidence the man shot at deputies at any point, he did fire six or seven shots in a residential neighborhood about a block away. Although the man was walking away from deputies when he was shot, the video "indicates the suspect was looking in the directions of the deputies" and he had the weapon in his hand, the sheriff said.
"He did not comply with their repeated request to drop the weapon," Sheriff McDonnell said. No ammunition was in his gun at the time he was shot, but there were "two live rounds in the suspect's grasp," the sheriff said.
LA Sheriff News conference regarding Deputy involved Shootng in Lynwood https://t.co/bis17f0Mrc #LASD #Video
— LA County Sheriff's (@LASDHQ) December 14, 2015Two deputies fired about 33 rounds at the suspect because they had "grave concern" for civilians who were pumping gas just a few feet away from where the man was walking, he said. Several children in a car five feet away feared for their lives, he added.
"The deputies immediately approached the suspect and gave him multiple commands to drop the gun," according to a statement from the sheriff's department. "However, the suspect did not comply and did not drop the handgun, at which time a deputy-involved shooting occurred." Watch the KTLA-TV report.
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